Introduction

When beginning your family history research, it’s easy to think that it will be simple to keep track of what information you have and what you have yet to find. You’ll quickly discover that it’s not so simple. Below are tips for organizing both your genealogical research and your findings.

Organizing Your Research

Spending more time tracing your family history is the ultimate goal. Starting out with research logs and task lists will allow you to do just that.

Research Logs

Research logs are an excellent way to keep track of the research you have already accomplished. Good research logs have a place to record the following information:

Task Lists or To-Do Items

Note questions when they arise—you may not remember the question later. Tracking this can be done in a variety of ways:

Use to-do items, logs, or task lists found in your genealogy software

Use a general word processing, spreadsheet, or database program

Keep a small notebook with you to jot down research questions

Organizing Your Findings

Your computer is an important organizational tool. Beyond recording and organizing your findings within a genealogical software program (see our software comparison chart), there are many other programs that can assist you.

Organizing (and Preserving) Your Family Stories

Preserve the family stories you find, know, or receive from family members.

Word processing program

Genealogy software (easier to locate the family story as it is attached to an individual)

Organizing Data as You Go

You may come across someone whose connection to your family is unclear, however, you don’t want to lose the information. There are many programs that can assist with this:

Other Valuable Programs

Organizing Your Files

As you progress with your research you will find that files multiply exponentially. The documents and images you uncover are all part of the process. File them in a way—electronically, physically, or both—in which you can easily find them.

Most filing systems rely on certain principles: arrange the documents in notebooks or file folders; use an index or table of contents; be consistent. Even if you are determined to go a paperless route, there are still some documents, diaries, and photographs you will have in a non-digitized version. Organize these in a manner similar to your electronic files. Regardless of what system you use or where you store your files, remember to be consistent with file names, localities, and arrangement.

Organizing Files

Build a hierarchy of folders. Below is an example that leads to files for Lemuel Patraw (where each level is a sub-folder of the previous one):

Johnson Family Tree

Patraw Surname

Lemuel Patraw

When naming files, especially those of documents, include details on the source. Some examples:

Organizing Bookmarks and Email

If it is easier to do an online search for a site you are trying to reach instead of locating it in your list of favorites or bookmarks, then it is definitely time to organize your links.

Take advantage of your browser’s “Favorites” or “Bookmarks”

Make sure you create general folders such as:

Surname

Locality

History

General Genealogy

Use a similar approach for email. “Filters” within your email program direct messages into certain folders. This way you can work just on e-mails dealing with a given family, rather than jumping from one to the next as you open each email in your Inbox.